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iPhone talks in Japan: Harajuku, here we come

Apple is rumored to be "in talks" with at least two major Japanese mobile …

Apple and Japan: two things that seem to go together like peanut butter and jelly, but may not when it comes to the iPhone. Japan is notorious for being far more advanced than the US when it comes to the world of mobile phones. This can hard to challenge with a lowly phone from the west, no matter how cool it may seem to us plebes. Apple is confident that the iPhone can hold its ground in Japan, though, and has even allegedly begun talks to launch it there next year.

"People familiar with the situation" have told the Wall Street Journal (subscription) that Steve Jobs recently met with NTT DoCoMo—Japan's largest mobile operator—to discuss the iPhone. He has also apparently chatted with Softbank Corp., which holds the number three spot in Japan, "and executives from both companies have made multiple trips to its Cupertino, Calif. headquarters."

Naturally, none of the parties involved have made an official comment about the talks. The WSJ's sources, however, say that while Softbank is working hard to strike a deal with Apple, Jobs would much prefer to go through DoCoMo if possible, "because of the strong preference it has shown so far for signing agreements with top mobile operators." Obviously, if a carrier has a larger base following, there will be a larger pool of people who might be more willing to buy the iPhone right away than switchers.

Like last month's news on China, however, these are only talks—talks that could easily break down at any time. Indeed, just a few weeks after news spread that Apple might sign something in China, a Chinese newspaper reported that the talks had failed due to revenue sharing disagreements.

Jacqui Cheng
Jacqui is an Editor at Large at Ars Technica, where she has spent the last eight years writing about Apple culture, gadgets, social networking, privacy, and more. Emailjacqui@arstechnica.com//Twitter@eJacqui